Once Upon a Story
by Strifegirl
Summary: Everyone was so happy to see that Cloud was still alive, especially Tifa. She was so thrilled to see her childhood friend finally overcame his fears from the past and hopefully, he'll stay to live a normal life with them.
1. Chapter 1

**Cloud and Tifa****  
"Once upon a Story****…"****  
****Written by Strifegirl**

Pairing: Cloud/Tifa

Summary: Everyone was so happy to see that Cloud was still alive, _especially_ Tifa. She was so thrilled to see her childhood friend finally overcame his fears from the past and hopefully, he'll stay to live a normal life with them.

Timeline: Right before the ending of Advent Children.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are owned by Square Enix. No copyright infringement.

"**One Upon a Story…"**

After defeating Sephiroth and curing Denzel's Geostigma, the party returned to the Seventh Heaven bar to celebrate Cloud's return. Everyone was so happy to see that Cloud was still alive, _especially_ Tifa. She was so thrilled to see her childhood friend finally overcame his fears from the past and hopefully, he'll stay to live a normal life with them.

After the celebration, everyone goes back to their lives, including Cloud's current family. Tifa closes the bar and then waves to their friends before returning inside to clean up the mess from the celebration. Meanwhile, the children were playing in the galley along with Cloud. When Tifa entered the room, she couldn't help noticing that Cloud's face was different. He was smiling for the first time; and not just any slight smirk, but a warm and wide smile. She couldn't help the feeling and she found herself smiling to see his face so full of joy. His blue mako eyes were glowing more than ever. His eyes were full of hope and happiness, as if all that insecurity he once had disappeared in a blink of an eye. She stood there for a moment admiring the lovely scene with a smile on her face.

"_This is something you don't see every day"_, she thought.

Cloud felt that he was being watched and immediately turned his head to gaze at Tifa. Their eyes met across the galley and she narrowed her eyes with a shy smile. Her smile was like the sunrise, so bright that she could light up the darkest place, so warm and welcoming that made him feel as if he never left home. Cloud couldn't help staring at her smile and he also responded with a smirk. Tifa blushed slightly upon seeing his smile. There was something about it that made her feel safe and secured; as if he was trying to tell her that everything would be okay from now on.

* * *

A few hours passed and soon it was getting dark. Tifa stopped washing dishes and went to the living room where the children were with Cloud.

"Okay kids, it's almost bedtime." Tifa stated.

"But I'm not… sleepy…" Denzel yawns. Marlene closes her eyes and begins to yawn as well. Cloud smirked when he saw the two of them yawning and he got up from the couch to help Tifa to put them to sleep.

"Come on kids…" he grabs Marlene. "Let's get you to sleep." He then goes upstairs with Marlene in his arms followed by Tifa and Denzel. Cloud waits at the doorway, while Tifa puts the children to bed. She gives them a kiss on their forehead like she always used to and then reaches for the little lamp from the table to turn the light off.

"Goodnight Cloud. Goodnight Tifa."

"Goodnight." Tifa replied. Just before they leave the room, Marlene gets out of her bed and reaches for Cloud.

"Hey Cloud, can you tell us a story?" she pulled his arm and Cloud raises an eyebrow.

"Come again?" he asked puzzled.

"You know… a bedtime story!" She frowned. Cloud sighed and gazes at Tifa arching an eyebrow. She was fighting a chuckle when he saw his face and then he scratched the back of his head.

"Sure… why not?" He responded. Marlene smiled and went back to her bed to lie down. Tifa gives him a nod and then Cloud follows Marlene to her bed. He leans on to a side and sits on the edge of the bed while Tifa goes downstairs to clean the dishes.

"Okay… so what kind of story you want me to tell?" Cloud asked the children.

"Any story would be nice…" Denzel replied.

"All right then…" Cloud sits straight and begins to tell the story.

"Once upon a time… there was a little boy named… Spiky." He paused for a moment and then continued.

"Spiky was a very shy kid and he didn't have many friends. All the other children from his village thought that he was a weird kid and they never played with him; except for a little girl who lived right next to him. She was very popular among the other children from the village and the boy saw in her something more than just a friendship. He wanted to be noticed by her, but for some reason, he just couldn't get closer to her. One day, the little girl had an accident and the little boy tried to save her, but he was too late. The girl was badly injured and the boy was blamed for it. He was devastated because he couldn't protect the little girl and he ran away from home." Cloud eye's trailed off for a moment and looked down.

"And then what happened?" Denzel asked. Cloud looked at him and proceeded.

"He went to the city to join the army. He wanted to become stronger, so that one day, the little girl would finally notice him."

"Are you the little boy from the story?" Marlene asked. Cloud was surprised to hear her question. Marlene was always very perceptive about the things happening around her and Cloud knew that he couldn't easily fool her.

"Maybe…" he gave her a slight smirk.

"And… who's the little girl? Denzel asked. Cloud let out a soft chuckle upon hearing their questions.

"That's another story…" he affirmed with a smirk in his face.

"You'll be here to tell us the rest of the story, right Cloud?" Denzel asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Well, time to to hit the beds." Cloud stands up from the bed and begins to tuck the children into their sheets. He brushes Denzel's hair playfully before he covers him with the blanket; and he does the same with Marlene. He places her little stuffed Mog in her side and leans forward to press a soft kiss on her forehead. Marlene smiles and extends her arms to embrace Cloud. Overwhelmed by the gesture, Cloud returns the embrace with the same tenderness. He always had a soft spot for Marlene. Although Cloud wasn't a very expressive guy, somehow, she was the only one who could turn him into a softy. After exchanging warm caresses with them, he heads to the door and turns around to greet the children one last time. "Good night kids." He then turns the lights off as he closes the door.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tifa was downstairs cleaning up the mess from the celebration. She was too busy thinking about everything that happened that she didn't hear when Cloud came downstairs.

"Cloud?" She startles. "You scared me…" she let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry." Cloud muttered while he sits on the counter. Tifa shook her head and tried to break the ice.

"That's okay. You just caught me off guard. I guess I'm not used to see you around here." She smiled with a slight frown.

"I guess not." Cloud lowered his head after hearing her statement. She noticed that her words only made him feel guilty and she offered something from the bar to ease his frustration.

"You want me to fix you something? How about a drink?"

"Nah, it's okay Teef. I've had enough for today."

Tifa looked at him with curious eyes before she returns to the dishes. "So… what happened to the little boy from the story?" she said with a smirk in her face. Cloud's eyes widened after hearing her question and immediately he turns to her to look into her eyes.

"You were listening?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"I couldn't help it." She smiled at him. Cloud blushes a little while he scratches the back of his head. Tifa bends a little to place her elbows on the counter and then put his face in her hands to look at him. "Can I know how it ends?"

"Well… to tell you the truth, I'm not sure how it's gonna end… the end of the story it's not quite finished." He trailed off from her gaze.

"I see…" she looked disappointed. The night was getting heavier, and Cloud offered himself to help her finish cleaning the dishes while she rests a bit.

"You want me to help you with that?" he asked her.

"Nah, it's okay. I'm almost done here. But you, on the other hand, need to get some rest. It's been a rough day for you."

"I suppose you're right." Cloud's gaze trailed off a bit and gets lost in his thoughts for a moment, thinking about how it would be like to have a normal life now that his geostigma had disappeared. Tifa looks at him with concern in her eyes. She knew that look on his face and it could only mean that he was feeling unsecured again, so she tries to wake him up from his trance.

"What is it?" she asked him. Cloud snaps from his thoughts and looks at her.

"It's nothing." He shook his head. "I'm just tired." He sighed. "Maybe I should probably go to sleep."

"You do that." She gave him a nod.

"So, I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Sure." She replied. Cloud stood up from his chair and headed for the stairs. Tifa follows him with her gaze until he reaches the stairs and calls him.

"Cloud?"

He turns around. "Yeah?"

Tifa looks at him for a moment before she continued. "Good-night." She smiled slightly. Cloud chuckled at this and then replied.

"Good-night…"

Tifa smiles once again and then, he turns around to go upstairs.

_**A/N: There's still one more chapter ahead :3 **_


	2. Chapter 2

A few hours later, Tifa finished with the cleaning and went upstairs to her room to get some rest. As she walks to her room, she passes through Cloud's bedroom and stops in front of the doorway. She stares at his door for a moment while she gets lost in her thoughts. She wanted to see him one more time, just to make sure that he was still there. She approached to the door and came to the handle to take a look but was stopped by a husky voice speaking from the other side.

"Tifa? Is that you?" Cloud asked puzzled. Tifa froze when she heard her name and tries to hide behind the door. After hearing no response, Cloud invites her to come into his room. "It's okay, you can come in." he smirked. Tifa took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Slowly, she opened the door and walked into the room.

"What were you doing outside of my room?" he asked her as he sits on his bed.

"Um… well, I was just… uh…" Tifa tries to hide her emotions and begins to blush. Cloud was fighting a chuckle when he saw her expression.

"Is everything alright?" He arched an eyebrow with a slight smirk on his face

"Um… Yeah, everything's fine. I just…" she sighed. "I'm sorry, I woke you up. I just wanted to make sure you were okay…" Her voice trailed off.

"What made you think I wasn't"he asked bewildered.

"No reason…" she lowered her head. Cloud looked at her and then stood up from his bed.

"What are you not saying?" He asked as he walks to her.

"Nothing." Her voice sounded nervous and she shook her head to avoid her blush.

"Teef, it's okay. You can tell me anything…" he placed his hand on her shoulder to reassure her. She then looks at him with sadness in her eyes.

"I know… is just that,"she sighed. "I don't know, I guess I got scared…" her eyes trailed off from his gaze and looked down.

"Of what?" he asked with concern in his eyes.

"That you were gone again…" her voice begins to break. Cloud gasped upon hearing her answer. Tifa turned her back on him to avoid eye contact and she fought to contain the tears as she speaks to him.

"While I was cleaning downstairs, I thought for a moment that none of this was real and that this was all just a dream… and that you weren't really here…" her voice begins to break.

"…Tifa…"

Tifa couldn't hold back the tears anymore and begins to sob. Cloud feels something was breaking inside of him and immediately he takes her from behind and wrapped his arms around her. Tifa's eyes widened, after feeling his embrace and she became stiff when he placed his chin on her shoulder.

"I'm really sorry Teef…" he whispered. "I didn't mean to cause you so much grief." He tightens the hug. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you when you needed me…"

Tifa let out a small chuckle upon hearing his words and she tries to ease his guilt letting him know that it was fine. She already knew that he wouldn't abandon them on purpose. "It's okay." She turns around to face him. "Don't worry…" She gave him a warm smile. Cloud's eyes were filled with sadness to see that she was crying because of him. He placed his hand on her face and cupped her cheek. Gently, he begins to stroke her face using his thumb to dry her tears off while he comforts her. Tifa closes her eyes and she grabs his hand to feel his touch. She stroked his hand with her face and then opens her eyes to find his blue eyes locked on hers. His gaze was different. There was a strange glow in his eyes that made her shudder and she couldn't help looking into his deep blue mako eyes. Cloud also gets lost in her brown eyes and without thinking; he approaches slowly to her and rubbed his lips against hers. The contact with his lips made her react and stops him in time.

"What are you doing…?" She whispered softly with a puzzled look on her face. Cloud looks at her in the eye and then replies.

"Something I should have done… a long time ago…" He also whispered. Tifa's heart began to beat faster and was betrayed by her emotions. She couldn't contain her feelings any longer; so she tried to break the awkward atmosphere between them.

"Cloud… I…"Her words were cut off when he pressed his finger on her lips to mute her.

"Don't… Don't say anything…" He looks into her eyes. "Just… let me have this moment…" He joined their lips and took her lips as his own.

Tifa's eyes widened as she felt his lips on hers and after a few moments, she gets carried away by his touch and responds to the kiss with the same tenderness. Cloud takes her in his arms as he kisses her soft and smooth lips. Her lips were like a drug, so sweet and gentle, that he took the time to taste them. She wrapped her arms around his neck while Cloud grabs her waist to press his body against hers. The intensity of the kiss increased with each touch and both are driven by their emotions. Cloud completely forgets his surroundings and concentrates on her. His passion increases with every kiss and just when things started to heat up, Cloud's phone rings. They broke from the kiss abruptly as they gasp.

"…Damn!" he complained. Tifa was fighting a chuckle after hearing his reaction. "I'm sorry..." he said.

Tifa shook her head nervously and the phone kept on ringing. "You should probably get that…" she suggested.

Cloud picks the phone while Tifa takes a sit on the edge of his bed to wait for him to hang up. She gets lost in her thoughts trying to understand what just happened. Up until now, she had managed to encase her emotions, but after that episode it would be very difficult for her to contain those feelings.

A minute later, Cloud hangs the phone and approaches to Tifa. She wasn't sure what to do at this point and she says the first thing that comes into her mind.

"Um… who was that?" She blushed while she asks him.

"Nobody."He replied. Cloud sits by her side and Tifa blushes even more. She tries to hide from his gaze by looking away and Cloud does the same. The tension grew up between them and Cloud is the first one to break the silence.

"You wanna… talk about this…?" he blushed slightly.

"I… don't know what to say…" She bit her bottom lip. Cloud turned his head slightly as she speaks. "I mean… there's so much I need to tell you but… for some reason… I forgot what I wanted to say." She lowered her head and Cloud chuckled softly.

"I know… I feel the same way too." He smirked.

"Is this really happening? …am I dreaming all of this?"her voice trailed off.

"I hope not." He replied. Tifa looks at him with a puzzled look on her face. "…cause if it's a dream…" Cloud gets closer to her and reaches for her face. "Then I don't wanna wake up." And then he kisses her. Tifa moans after feeling Cloud's lips in hers. After so many years of waiting for him to notice her true feelings, she finally gets a moment with him. She wanted this so badly and her eyes couldn't hold back the tears and begins to weep softly while she's making out with Cloud.

After the long kiss, Cloud released her lips to look at her. Tifa opens her eyes and she meets his blue eyes. Cloud gets concerned when he sees her tearful eyes and tries to comfort her. He pressed a tender kiss on her forehead and she smiles. She wraps her arms around his neck and puts her head on his shoulder. He embraces her as well, pulling her close to him.

"I don't want this night to end…" She whispers softly.

"It doesn't have to end…" he replied. "Stay." He whispered in her ear. Tifa felt chills running through her spine upon hearing his soft words on her ear. Some part of her wanted to stay with him and the other part was telling her to do the right thing. After all, they were living with children and it would be inappropriate for her to stay in his room. She released herself from the embrace to look at him in the eye.

"But…"

"Please…" Cloud interrupts her. "I won't be able to sleep after this…" Cloud tightened the hug. "…At least not on my own."

Unable to say no to him, she smiles gently and nods her head in respond. Once again, he searched for her lips.

Both of them fell asleep holding onto each other and the night did the rest.

* * *

The next morning…

Marlene wakes up first and as usual, she goes downstairs to greet Tifa. But she wasn't there; so she went to Cloud's room to look for some papers to draw with her crayons while she waits for her to make their breakfast.

When she entered the room, she discovers Tifa and Cloud were sleeping together in the same bed. At first she was surprised to see them like that but then she smiled after seeing their faces. They looked so happy together that she just couldn't help smiling at the sight of them.

A few minutes later, Denzel wakes up and sees Marlene in Cloud's doorway.

"Marlene?"

"Shhh…!" She frowns putting one finger on her mouth. "They are still sleeping…" She points her finger where Cloud and Tifa was.

"What's happening?" Denzel asked.

"I think the little girl finally noticed the little boy." She replied.

"Oh… I see now…"

Both of them giggled softly and then leave the room quietly as they closed the door. Meanwhile, Cloud tightens the embrace while Tifa settles her head below his neck; and they continue with their pleasant sleep.

The end.

_**A/N: This was actually one of the first fics I wrote about cloti. I've always wanted to know what happend after Advent Children xD anyway, I hope you like my fic ^^ and if you do please leave me a review ;3 **_


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